Biography
Hugo von Hofmannsthal's family had Austrian-Jewish-Lombard roots. His debut novel, "Yesterday," was published in 1891 under the pseudonym "Theophil Morren," sparking public interest. Many of his poems appeared under the name "Loris" in Stefan George's "Blättern der Kunst." In 1892, he began studying law at the University of Vienna. During this period, he wrote the lyric drama "The Death of Titian" and composed a lyrical prologue for Arthur Schnitzler's play "Anatol." The following year, von Hofmannsthal authored the one-act play "The Thor and Death." After passing his state law exam in 1894, he volunteered for a year of military service with the Dragoon Regiment in Göding in 1895.
Soon after, his first works were published in Paul Cassirer's art magazine "PAN." Von Hofmannsthal earned his doctorate in philosophy in 1898, the same year his drama "Woman in the Window" premiered in Berlin. Moving away from poetry, he increasingly focused on writing operas for the theater. In 1901, he abandoned his habilitation in Romance philology and became a freelance writer. He married Gertrud Schlesinger, with whom he had three children. During this time, he wrote "A Letter," known as the Lord Chandos Letter. In 1906, he began collaborating with composer Richard Strauss, who set his opera librettos to music.
Between 1909 and 1912, the operas "Elektra," the comedy "Der Rosenkavalier," and "Ariadne auf Naxos" were created. At the start of World War I in 1914, von Hofmannsthal took on cultural-political duties within the War Welfare Office. In 1917, he and Strauss participated in the Salzburg Festival. The tragedy "The Tower" and the drama "The Difficult" were written in 1920 and 1921. Von Hofmannsthal's eldest son took his own life on July 13, 1929. Von Hofmannsthal himself died two days later, on July 15, 1929, just before the funeral.
The lyric opera "Arabella," also composed by Richard Strauss, premiered posthumously.
